Lophophora

Lophophora
Lophophora williamsii cluster
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Tribe: Cacteae
Genus: Lophophora
J.M.Coult.
Species
Lophophora range
Synonyms

Lophophora (/ləˈfɒfərə/)[citation needed] is a genus of spineless, button-like cacti. Its native range covers Texas through Mexico to southwestern Mexico. The species are extremely slow growing, taking around ten years to reach maturity from seed in the wild. Growth can be accelerated considerably in cultivation by grafting. The slow rate of reproduction and over-harvesting render the species under threat in the wild; both L. williamsii and L. diffusa are assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Taxonomy

Lophophora means "crest-bearing", referring to the tufts of trichomes that adorn each tubercle. Lophophora has been reported to have two species, L. diffusa and L. williamsii. Another three species have been proposed by some authors, including Jaroslav Šnicer, Vojtěch Myšák and Jaroslav Bohata: L. fricii, L. koehresii, and L. alberto-vojtechii. Recent DNA sequencing studies (Butterworth et al. 2002) have shown that L. diffusa and L. williamsii indeed are distinct species. DNA evidence from the alleged species L. fricii and L. koehresii would allow for more accurate classification.

Species

As of 2018, only about six species of Lophophora are known.

ImageScientific nameDescriptionDistribution
Lophophora alberto-vojtechii Bohata, Myšák & ŠnicerPlants have gray green stems, typically reaching up to 2 cm in diameterMexico (San Luis Potosí)
Lophophora diffusa (Croizat) BravoThe plants are yellow-green, usually lacking well-defined ribs and furrows. The podaria are rarely elevated, but are broad and flat. The tufts of hair are usually spread unequally on the prominent podaria. The flowers are commonly whitish to yellowish-white. This species contains zero to trace amounts of mescaline; pellotine is the principal alkaloid.south end of the range of the genus in Querétaro state, Mexico
Lophophora fricii Haberm.Mexico Northeast
Lophophora williamsii (Lemaire ex Salm-Dyck) J.M.Coult.The plants are blue-green, usually with well-defined ribs and furrows. The tufts of hair are usually equally spaced on the ribs. The flowers are pinkish or rarely whitish. The mescaline content of the dried crown typically ranges from about 2% to 4% by weight.the full range of the genus except in Querétaro state, Mexico

Two other species, Lophophora koehresii and Lophophora jourdaniana, have also been described and named.

Cultivation

Lophophora williamsii is regarded as trouble-free in cultivation, growing well on its own roots in a largely mineral, free-draining substrate in a sunny to semi-shaded position, while the other species are considered more sensitive. Plants are propagated from fresh seed, by grafting, or from cuttings.

Constituents and effects

Lophophora williamsii (peyote) is the only known species with large amounts of the psychedelic drug mescaline (~30% of total alkaloid content), whereas other species have only trace amounts of mescaline (e.g., 1%) and instead contain large amounts of other alkaloids such as pellotine and anhalonidine. Due to their low mescaline content, other Lophophora species besides peyote are said to have little or no hallucinogenic activity.

History

Lophophora williamsii (peyote), as Echinocactus williamsii, was first described and named by the French horticulturist Jean François Cels in 1842. Its naming is often erroneously attributed to German amateur botanist Joseph zu Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dyck in 1845. The French botanist Charles Antoine Lemaire also described and named the species as Echinocactus williamsianus in 1843. German botanist Paul Christoph Hennings named the species Anhalonium lewinii, in honor of Louis Lewin who provided him with his specimens, in 1888 as well. The species was renamed to its present-day accepted name Lophophora williamsii by American botanist John Merle Coulter in 1894.

Lophophora diffusa was first described and named in 1967, Lophophora fricii in 1975, and Lophophora alberto-vojtechii in 2008 or 2009. Lophophora diffusa was confused with Lophophora williamsii for many decades and this caused significant scientific confusion. A couple of other species, Lophophora koehresii and Lophophora jourdaniana, have also been described and named.

References

  1. 1 2 "Lophophora J.M.Coult". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Niesel, Christian (2018). "A journey to the Mexican genus Lophophora". CactusWorld. 36 (1). British Cactus and Succulent Society: 5–14. ISSN 1751-1429. JSTOR 26533061. Archived from the original on 8 July 2026. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 Ermakova, Anna O.; Terry, Martin K.; Trout, Keeper (2022). "Cultivation as a conservation tool for cacti: review of the botanical evidence and a case study of Lophophora williamsii". Bradleya. 2022 (sp40): 71–82. doi:10.25223/brad.sp40.2022.a8.
  4. ↑ Terry, M. (2017). "Lophophora williamsii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017 e.T151962A121515326. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T151962A121515326.en. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  5. ↑ Gómez-Hinostrosa, C.; Sánchez, E.; Guadalupe Martínez, J.; Terry, M. (2017) [amended version of 2013 assessment]. "Lophophora diffusa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017 e.T40967A121501921. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T40967A121501921.en. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Snicer, Jaroslav; Mysak, Vojtech; Bohata, Jaroslav (2005). "Lophophora Coulter". Kaktusy. Special 2005/2 (41).
  7. ↑ C. A. Butterworth & J. H. Cota-Sanchez, & R. S. Wallace (2002), ”Molecular systematics of Tribe Cacteae (Cactaceae: Cactoideae): A phylogeny based on rpl16 intron sequence variation”, Systematic Botany 27 (2), 257-270.
  8. 1 2 Terry, Martin (2008). "Stalking the wild Lophophora: Part 3 San Luis Potosí (central), Querétaro, and Mexico City". Cactus and Succulent Journal. 80 (6): 310–317. doi:10.2985/0007-9367-80.6.310. ISSN 0007-9367. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  9. ↑ Klein, Molly T.; Kalam, M.; Trout, Keeper; Fowler, Norma; Terry, Martin (2015). "Mescaline Concentrations in Three Principal Tissues of Lophophora williamsii (Cactaceae): Implications for Sustainable Harvesting Practices". Haseltonia. 20: 34–42. doi:10.2985/026.020.0107.
  10. 1 2 Chan CB, Poulie CB, Wismann SS, Soelberg J, Kristensen JL (August 2021). "The Alkaloids from Lophophora diffusa and Other "False Peyotes"". J Nat Prod. 84 (8): 2398–2407. Bibcode:2021JNAtP..84.2398C. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.1c00381. PMID 34264089.
  11. 1 2 Ali, Ehsan; Azhar, Muhammad Farooq; Laila, Ume (23 January 2025). "False Peyote (Lophophora diffusa (Croizat) Bravo Cactaceae)". Comprehensive Guide to Hallucinogenic Plants. Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 37–41. doi:10.1201/9781003460336-7. ISBN 978-1-003-46033-6. Retrieved 27 June 2026. When we refer to 'True peyote', we are typically talking about L. williamsii specifically. On the other hand, all other cacti species related to peyote are considered 'false peyote'. Lophophora diffusa and Lophophora fricii are commonly referred to as 'false peyote', but there are other species like Ariocarpus retusus that resemble L. williamsii in terms of appearance, alkaloid content, habitat, or genetic relationship (Chan et al., 2021). False peyotes thrive in identical environments and resemble peyote in appearance (Šnicer et al., 2009). In traditional situations, they have also been utilized as alternatives for peyote, albeit they often lack or have modest mescaline effects (Rätsch, 2005; Chaachouay et al., 2019).
  12. 1 2 3 4 Calvo, Joel; Benítez, Guillermo (2023). "A nomenclatural review of the name Echinocactus williamsii ( Lophophora williamsii ): Correct author and year of publication". Taxon. 72 (5): 1093–1097. Bibcode:2023Taxon..72.1093C. doi:10.1002/tax.12979. ISSN 0040-0262. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 Bruhn, Jan G.; Holmstedt, Bo (1973). "Early peyote research an interdisciplinary study". Economic Botany. 28 (4): 353–390. Bibcode:1973EcBot..28..353B. doi:10.1007/BF02862854. ISSN 0013-0001. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  14. ↑ Šnicer, J; Bohata, J; Myšák, V (2009). "The Littlest Lophophora". Cactus and Succulent Journal. 81 (6): 294–300. doi:10.2985/015.081.0606. ISSN 0007-9367. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  15. ↑ Perrine DM (2001). "Visions of the Night Western Medicine Meets Peyote 1887-1899" (PDF). The Heffter Review of Psychedelic Research. 2: 6–52.

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